Zero to Peak: Ascension Online

Chairperson Beam had their head and four hands pressed against the cold wall of their office. The day was yet to break, but they were already being harassed by a salvo of video messages from agitated high-echelon members. These members threatened to unseat them if they didn't provide a worthy explanation for the failed assassination attempt on Pontiff Sarr.

A loud beep echoed in the office. Beam didn't bother to turn and find the source of the sound. They knew it was a notification signalling a new video message had come through.

On the wall directly opposite, a screen appeared. Brass member Peta was on the screen, bearing an ugly, furious expression on their face.

"Chairperson, you have received another message from brass member Peta," the artificial intelligence in Beam's office announced.

"That fool doesn't know when to stop!" Beam pounded their left pair of fists on the wall in exasperation and frustration.

It was barely a few minutes past 3 a.m., and this was the thirteenth time that Brass member Peta had messaged them.

"You shit-eating fraud! You better have a 'good' explanation for the failure…"

"Mute!" Chairperson Beam said at the top of their voice. The artificial intelligence instantly muted the sound from the message.

Beam pounded their pair of left fists on the wall again. "Molo, that damn scammer set me up for this. If I had known better, I wouldn't have taken up this position. I was so blinded by envy that I didn't think through my actions before going for it."

Suddenly, the office shook violently. At the same time, the faint vibrations of an explosion seeped into the room—the remnants of a shockwave that had successfully bypassed the office's robust sound suppression system.

Beam was too focused on dwelling on the threats from the agitated brass members to register the explosion. 'Was that an explosion?' they mused.

BOOM! Another faint explosion was heard, followed by the office shaking violently.

"Assistant, what was that? Who is attacking this building?" Beam's expression shifted from worry to a stern, determined look.

"Chairperson, you are being attacked by a force led by brass members Beta Beta Three and Equation. Their minions are hurling missiles at the walls of your office. I have sent sentries to ask the reason for their assault, and the leaders have declared that this is a coup attempt. Unfortunately, Chairperson, you are surrounded, and I have calculated that there is a 0.2 per cent chance of escaping this assault alive. I suggest you peacefully surrender power to the agitators."

Chairperson Beam stared at the ceiling disdainfully. "Sometimes I wonder if you are truly a smart machine or just some dumb organic consciousness trapped within a motherboard. There is no such thing as peaceful surrender in our race's military culture. It's a dog-eat-dog culture."

Another explosion shook the office.

"Chairperson, the integrity of the office walls has suffered significant damage. The integrity of the wall is at 5%."

"Argh!" Chairperson Beam yelled, kicking the central wooden table in their office away. "Why don't they come and fight me head-on? They want to humiliate me before I die. They think I will desperately rush out and fight them. Useless thugs! Why couldn't they muster the same courage when Chairperson Ze was around? Stupid coward bullies!"

"It's rare to find gems like you within our race. It's a privilege to witness your existence," a calm voice spoke.

"Intruder! The office has been breached!" the artificial intelligence alerted.

"I can see that, you slow, stupid machine." Beam jumped back, putting a small distance between the assumed location of the voice and themself.

Cosmic Harbinger!

A layer of godly, shimmering white armour enveloped the figure of Chairperson Beam. In the sky outside the office, a number of miniature star wormholes lined up, their targeting seemingly fixed on the building that housed Beam's office.

Beta Beta Three, the shortest Und in the military high echelons, grinned at the development. They assumed that the chairperson was readying to fight them.

"Two Pillars of Calamities against one. We are going to make a gruesome meal out of him." Equation eagerly anticipated the combat.

The duo were sure that no one would dare intervene or interrupt the battle. They were the most revered members of the high echelons, and no one dared come in their way. They would have seized power if General Molo had left without handing the keys to governance to Beam. The failed assassination attempt had given them a reason to try and seize power for themselves.

In the office, Beam had lost most of their courage to battle the intruder. Rad, the intruder, was the most powerful Und across the Torn Indigo, and they had decided to breach into the chairperson's office. Beam wanted to fall to their knees in defeat before the battle began, but their ego wouldn't allow them to do that.

"You may be the most powerful being in our race, but know that it is shameful of you to participate in this cowardly coup. I will fight you honourably and gladly accept falling by your hands," Beam said, circling round Rad with their intricately designed cosmic silver staff.

Rad remained rooted to their spot, keenly observing every movement and emotion the chairperson demonstrated. "Impressive. A being who holds up their ego despite standing before a force that could bring their entire existence to an end. Fortunately, I'm not here to usurp you from your position. Your ideology resonates with mine — find the voice of the mother while dealing with human civilisation on the other hand. I heard about the coup, and I decided to come to your aid."

Beam slowly circled Rad, trying to discern deceit from the most powerful Und's words. Rad just stood there, menacingly, their eyes calmly tracing the chairperson's movement.

"Chairperson, should I blast this 'fucker'?" the artificial intelligence asked.

Beam hesitated to answer. "No, they are my ally."

Rad looked at the plain red ceiling. "Your assistant has a good sense of humour. It learnt to use derogatory terms the humans use."

"Stop it. Stop this calm talking. It unsettles me. I have two greedy idiots outside the office that want my head. We have to plan on how to deal with them."

"We? Did you think I was going to fight them?"

"What? Why are you here?" Beam facepalmed, thinking that they had got their hopes up for nothing.

"Don't fret; I have a glitch weapon that will deal with them," Rad assured.

A glitch pattern manifested before Rad in the form of a desktop monitor.

"Chairperson, should I get your escape mount ready?" The virtual assistant spoke in a low tone.

"I would like to watch the outcome."

The office ceiling gave way, and the office rose above the ground to the normal ground level, where the assailant leaders and their minions stood. This phenomenon defied logic, and Beam wasn't interested in thinking about it. The two battling sides were metres away from each other. The minions, however, surrounded the office.

Rad spoke authoritatively for the assailants to hear, "Beta Beta Three and Equation, you have shamelessly betrayed our race and deserve ultimate punishment for this sin. But you have been given a second chance on the condition that you give up your greedy ambitions and surrender to the rule of Chairperson Beam."

The instant Rad concluded their speech, Beta's and Equation's minions vanished, depixelating to naught. Beta and Equation understood the power that had just been demonstrated. They lost all will to fight. They knelt down on their four lower limbs and declared their surrender.

Beam was not forgiving. From the miniature wormholes in the sky, they unleashed a torrent of stellar energy that vaporised the coup mongers in two seconds, which was faster than they had expected. Rad had made the traitors easier to defeat through an unexplainable method.

In Section 3, in a hidden trench on one of the wasteland areas, a large, desperate group of human beings—consisting of young and old, men, women, and children—tunnelled quietly through the long trench that stretched for unknown kilometres. The atmosphere was tense, and they looked no better than the desolate wasteland they were travelling through. They all looked thin and tired. They were travelling to their homes after successfully scavenging for food at a secret zone on this wasteland. The frequent sounds of the various Und surveillance drones added to the high stakes of this atmosphere.

Suddenly, large screens manifested across the wasteland and not only on this wasteland but other wastelands in Section 3. The thriving, controlled areas under the Unds also saw large screens manifest. A broadcast from Chairperson Beam was imminent.

Beam appeared on the screen and delivered a proclamatory speech, solidifying their authority and legitimacy as the leader of Section 3. They promised that whoever dared to doubt their power would suffer dire consequences for such actions.